ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions are banged up along the defensive line. Defensive ends Willie Young, Jason Jones and Israel Idonije were all held out of Thursday's practice, so Ronnell Lewis' activation off the non-football injury list was a welcome addition.

Lewis was close to rejoining the team earlier, but a decision was made to hold him out a couple extra days.

"Actually we had made the decision for him to come off the PUP, or potentially come off the PUP a couple days ago," Schwartz said. "It looked like that's where he was trending and it just came at the right time for us."

Lewis declined to comment on the ailment that sidelined him after passing the team's mandatory conditioning test last week, saying only that he's healthy now.

"I felt good, felt fresh," Lewis said. "I just have to stay that way, keep my body in a good place to stay healthy. "

Lewis, a second-year player out of Oklahoma, is facing an uphill battle to make the team's final roster. After missing the first five practices of training camp, the focus is on catching up.

"I just have got to make plays right now," Lewis said. "It starts in training camp; make plays, fly around and show the coaches you can play. Hang out there and don't mess up. Mental mistakes, you just can't have them, especially in the game."

Landing on the sidelines to start camp was the latest in a tough offseason for Lewis. He was arrested in April for his role in an altercation outside an Oklahoma bar. Again, Lewis declined to comment, shifting the discussion to present day.

"That's in the past. I'm moving on from that. It happened. I'm just looking to the future right now, taking it day by day, and just trying to get better. That's all I'm trying to do right now."